Motor-operated cloth guider



y 1944. R. HETHERINGTON MOTOR OPERATED CLOTH GUIDER Filed July so, 19403 Sheets-Sheet 1 J y 1944; R. HETHERINGTONQ 2,352,896

MOTOR OPERATED CLOTFI GUIDER Filed July 30, 1940 37 Sheets-Shet 2 y 4,1944. R. HETHERINGTON MOTOR OPERATED CLOTH GUIDER s Sheets-Sheet 3 FiledJuly 30, 1940 Patented July 4, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE' 3Claims.

My invention relates to'electrically operated guiders for travellingstock.

One purpose of my invention is to rotate a thread, most desirably asteep thread within a nut using the progression caused by their relativeaxial movement to advance and their reversal to release a pressureelement bringing or releasing pressure of a removable roll upontravelling stock intervening between it and a fixed roll.

A further purpose is to progress a plunger by thread means and to usethe plunger to apply pressure to a movable roll. I

A further purpose is to use a rotary shaft to turn a propulsion threadand build up, or with reverse movement, release the pressure of amovable roll upon stock between it and a fixed roll.

A further purpose is to use a capacitor motor for rotating a threadedshaft to cause pressure through a movable roll upon travelling stock,using the reversal of the capacitor motor to release the pressure. Thecapacitor motor supplies both speed in starting and ease of reversal.

A further purpose is to provide an unusually delicate means of closing aswitch on an electric guider, taking the place of the normal 'feelorfinger. l

A further purpose is to use an oscillator within the path of movement ofthe travelling stock as 'a'means for directly closing a switch for motormovement of a movable roll, preferably using a capacitor motor to securestrong starting torque.

I :prefer 'to illustrate my invention by a few only of the forms knownto me, selecting forms which are practical, effective and thoroughlyreliable and which at the same time well illustrate the invention.

Figures '1, 2 and 3 are perspective views of one form of the invention.

Figures 4 and 5 are longitudinal sections of two forms of plunger whichmay be used.

- Figures 6 and 7 are a plan view and a section upon line 7-7 .ofFigure6 showing a condenser and switch which'may be used.

- Figures Band 9 are perspectives of other forms of the invention.

' Figure 8 is a fragmentary side elevation showing a portion of thestructure of Figure '8.

' Fig-ure S is a sectional side elevation to enlarged scale showing aportion of the structure of Figure 8=-.

- Figure 10 is a top plan view of a wedge member, guides and springwhich are seen in'Figure 9.

Figures 11' and 12 are top plan :viewsof wedge members, guides, and inFigure 11, a springwhich are seen in Figure 9 but to reduced scale andshowing difierent forms. 1

Figure 13 is a diagrammatic view of connections used for a capacitormotor.

Figure 14 is a perspective view showing a detachable switch structure.

Figure 15 is a longitudinal section of the switch of Figure 14.

In the drawings "similar numerals indicate like parts. A

In the illustrations existing forms of guider frames have been used as abasis and my invention has been built up from them deliberately in orderto show how my invention can be applied to existing apparatus withcomparatively slight changes in these forms and with changes whichmoreover are made by adding bracketed motors, spinners or otherconnecting parts to brackets, tables, aprons, etc. already in existencein a given equipment. For this reason parts are shown on the frames andbrackets illustrated which have no utility in my use of these framesandbrackets but which are present for a purpose with existingconstructions in which my invention can displace to advantage-thepresent controls and operating parts.

'I make clear the above applicability because, in the practice of myinvention in new constructions, it is my intention to use only thoseparts (such as brackets, tables, aprons, etc.) which are made use of byme in the illustrated constructions, omitting the parts which are unusedin the present illustrations and generally smoothing out the appearanceand reducing the cost of new constructions, as compared with thoseillustrated.

My invention has to do primarily with electrical appl-i-cationof powerand release thereof to and from'the e'radle of a g-uider, wherebya-movable roll is pressed-against'the travelling stock or is releasedfrom pressure thereagainst.

'In the form of Figures 1 to 4,6 and? conventional-bracket Hi'is screwedto other machinery by base Ii. The apron I2 is attached to the bracketbyallang'e l3. Bodily fixed and bodily movable rolls M and i5 aremounted-upon the bracket inthe usual way, the former by 'a spindle l6-and the latter by a cradle ll, havingarms I'Band IQ anelyoke 26, allsuspended from the bracket by a bolt 2| andheld by nut 22. The cradle issupplied with a thrust plateor .-:anvi1 213. .For convenience ofaccommodation of my invention to the old construction shown the effec- Jtive position of the anvil is lowered and carried to the rear by a bentplate or bar 24 whose end 25 receives the pressure normally applied tothe anvil to move the cradle.

The motor 26 seen in the figures is desirably a reversible motor inorder that the screw plunger which I use may be operated positively inboth directions. Both direct current and alternating current reversiblmotors, as well as switches by which to connect and reverse them arewell known in the art and need no description here. However both typesand their circuit connections have been discussed in my Patent No.2,178,231 of October 31, 1939. (See Figures 6 and 20.)

The motor may be either direct or alternating. A capacitor motor isillustrated. The motor may be unidirectional, according to the characterof its work; for example, whether a thread be of low enough pitch torequire power release or a steep thread with or without special releasemeans. The capacitor motor has advantage, whether it be reversible ornot, as used, in the high torque provided.

The motor 26 is mounted upon any suitable base 21 so as to bring itaxially in line with the plate, strap or bar 24 connected to the yoke oranvil so as to be in convenient position for engagement by a plungeroperated by the motor.

No novelty is claimed for the capacitor motor nor are the connectionsnew by which it is started, stopped, and reversed with a high torque ineach initial movement. The motor in Figures 1, 2 and 3 is intended to becapable at least of re- Verse movement but whether or not this reversemovement will be needed will depend upon the conditions of service, asindicated.

The motor base 21 carries a switch 28 by which the motor circuit isopened and closed through the medium of a feeler finger 29 operated inthe usual way.

The feeler finger is pivoted at 30 and operates through its arm 3|. Whenit moves in counterclockwise direction by reason of movement of thetravelling stock bodily to one side, the springretracted switch plunger32 is operated to direct current passing through the switch in onedirection in order to secure pressure upon the mov able roll and throughit against the fixed roll with the stock between. With movement of thefeeler finger in clockwise direction the pressure is released.

In Figure 4 I show a thread-directed pressure plunger 33 suitable for mypurpose. The motor armature shaft 34 is steadied in one (rear) head 35of a non-rotatable plunger casing 36. The shaft rotates a screw 31supported by the head 35 of the casing and the nut 38 movablelongitudinally of the casing. The casing is supported from the table inany suitable manner.

The nut 38 is free to advance and retract but is held against rotarymovement by plates 39 engaging its non-circular surface.

The nut 38 supports the plunger 33 which is movable forward (to the leftin Figure 4) and back within a front head 40, with the force and effectthat the plunger is operated in and out of the casing with rotation ofthe thread shaft.

- The plunger 33 engages the plate, strap or bar 24 to cause the movableroll to be pressed toward the fixed roll.

The capacitor motor shown is wired from any suitable source connectingit to the condenser through the switch so as to cause the motor torotate in one direction or the other with supply of current to themotor. The switch is operated so as to cause rotation of the motor incounterclockwise or clockwise direction as the case may be, causing theplunger to operate accordingly.

In the form shown in Figure 5 a construction is shown correspondinggenerally with the structure shown in Figure 15 of my Patent No. 2,178,-231 of October 31, 1939. In this form the shaft 34 is a motor shaftdriven by any reversible motor. It is preferably driven by a capacitormotor 4!, the capacitator motor being selected again because not onlycan it be reversed readily but it starts both forwardly and in reversewith high torque. The current may be continued indefinitely to maintainthe turning torque. The

sleeve 42 carrying thread 43 turns within fixed bearing 44. The threadis connected with the shaft so as to be rotated by it.

The thread engages a nut 45 which is free to advance and retractaxially. The nut has a noncircular exterior. Fixed guides 46 hold itagainst turning. This allows the nut to advance and to be retracted uponthe thread. The nut carries a pin 41 which impinges upon the anvil ofthe cradle by which the movable roll is supported.

The condenser 48 is connected to the capacitor motor in the usual way.

- The usual guide or guard plates l0 appear in Figures 1, 2 and 3 exceptthat one of these has been omitted in Figure 3.

In Figures 8 and 9 my invention has been applied to a different kind ofbracket from that shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, both forms being wellknown in the practical electric guider art.

I have shown the guider bracket, etc. as it is now used in order toidentify the device and to show the capability of applying the inventionto it. However I have made no effort to describe the parts of thebracket assembly which are not used by me since for my purpose they arenot required and for new construction they would be omitted.

The bracket [0 and its associated parts sup.- port fixed and movablerolls I4 and I5. The latter is mounted in a cradle 50 which swingswithin bearings 5|. The swinging motion is effected by pressure upon oragainst an arm 52 secured to any convenient part of the cradle such asshaft 53. The pressure upon the arm 52 thus becomes effective to swingthe cradle.

The-motor 54 here may be a direct or alternating current motor of normaltype (except as it may be desirable to secure additional starting torqueby using a capacitor motor), and need not be a reversing motor. Acapacitor motor is shown. It is mounted by means of a base 55. Though inthe feeler-finger form of electric switch control the switch can becontrolled to make contact for rotation in, one direction and reverse atopposite ends of the feeler finger movement with open circuit inpositions between (see Figure '7 of my said patent) suiting to oppositedirections of motor travel, the form-of switch op eration in Figures 8,8a and 8b herein is better suited to unidirectional motor operation,requiring opening and closing only of the motor circuit. This involvesmechanical retraction of the parts.

In the illustration I have indicated rack and pinion operation of apressure-applying member because it is the simplest and most convenientform.

The motor shaft 56 carries a gear or pinion 51 which engages with a rack58 of a rack-andcam unit, the parts of the rack and cam being beneaththe rack at .59 and is secured against lifting by rollers BI] and 6|,the rollers 59,60 and BI being .supportedfrom the motor casing.

r The cam part of the unit backs at 62 against vertical guides 63 and 64which desirably are rollers and which are attached to the apron .65 bybolts 66. Whether the guides be posts merely or rollers they areprovided with flanges 6i and 63 so as to make them effectively spools.

The face of the cam is in the form of a wedge 10. The unit is providedwith a dwell $9. The wedge or cam is spring-urged at l! and the springis anchored at 12 by means of a screw. The extent of spring urge isadjustable by means of a hand-wheel 13 to thread the screw into and outof the threaded plate i l. The spring is swiveled to the screw.

The spring H normally pulls the wedge against a roller carried by a yokeHi fastened to a plate "which is connected with the cradle as by arm 52so that the spring H places a predetermined but adjustable pressure uponthe movable roll against the travelling stock intervening between it andthe fixed roll. Thisnormal spring pressure. is on all the time exceptwhen it is released by rotation of the motor armature and consequentrelease pull of the rack and wedge.

In Figure 11 the wedge is set by the motor and is released by thespring.

The feeler finger of Figures 1, 2 and 3 is replaced by a delicate rotor(spinner) it. This rotor is mounted preferably rigidly upon a shaft 79supported in suitable bearings 88 and hi so that its conical surface 82is engaged by the travelling stock when the travelling stock movesbodily too far toward the observer in Figure 3.

The rotor is light in weight. As best seen in Figures 8a and 8b, thespinner is conical at 83 with its smaller end farther from the observerin Figure 8. The larger end is shown assubstantially parallel to thestock at 8:3. As the stock shifts bodily toward the observer in Figure 8it is diverted from its plane by the slope of the cone. This stretchesand hence tightens the stock which therefore frictionally engages therotor or spinner with a pressure that increases with increase ofdiameter of the part of the cone engaged. The lightness of the rotormakes it effectively a spinner capable of turning with very slightengagement by the travelling stock.

The shaft 85 is rigidly connected with a transversely extending leverarm 85 capable of being oscillated in a clockwise direction in Figure 8when the travelling stock engages it. When this lever arm 86 swings inclockwise direction in Figure 8 it engages the spring retracted plunger81 of a switch 88, closing the switch circuit and passing the currentthrough the motor. Ihe motor armature is rotated in counterclockwisedirection, pulling the wedge to the left in Figures 9 and 10 andreleasing the spring pressure which normally causes gripping of thestock between the rolls. In Figure 11 the same direction of pull applieswedge pressure to the cradle and the spring releases the pressure whenthe motor is stopped. With a reversing motor and a single pole doublethrow switch, with either direction of wedge no spring is needed and thewedge is applied.

Arm 52 is comparable in its function with the bar 24 carried by theanvil of Figures 1 to 3, in that swinging of the arm swings the cradleand with it swings the movable roll toward or away Figures 1, 2 and 3causes openingfirst andsubsequently reversal of a normally. closedcircuit through the motor when the travelling stock shifts unduly to theleft in Figure 2 and engages with the feeler finger. The opening of thecircuit releasesthe motor to permit reverse operation by other means,such as by a spring, or continued movement of the stock may be made toreverse the motor if it be a reversible motor. Reversal of a capacitormotor is contemplated in Figures 1 to 3 with the effect that, aftercounterclockwise application of the screw pressure, the reversal of themotor the screw of Figure 4. is operated in clockwise direction towithdraw the nut plunger from pressure engagement with the cradle (i. c.with a part connected with the cradle), allowing the movable roll toresume its normal pressure against the travellingv stock passing betweenthe fixed and movable rolls. .The feeler finger is held against thestock by any suitable sprin :not shown.

In the form shown in Figures 8, 9 and 10 the motor is normally withoutcurrent and pressure is applied between the movable and fixed rolls bythe pull of the spring and the pressure of the wedge pulled by it. Withmovement of thetravel ling stock toward theside of its path at which theparticular guider is located, the spinner isoper ated to close the'motorswitch, closing current through the motor and causing its armature toturn in counterclockwise direction. The gear upon the armature shaftdraws the rack toward the left and releases the pressure between the tworolls. When current is cut off from the motor the spring seen in Figures9 and 10 resets the wedge, again to establish the intended rollpressure. L-

In Figure 11 a fragment is shown, being part of such a construction asthat of Figure lilwith the diiference that the wedge H faces the reversedirection from the wedge in Figure 10.

The effect of reversing the wedge in Figure 11 is to reverse theoperation of the device, so that instead of pressure upon the cradlebeingexerted by the spring at all times when the electric circuit isopen and released by operation of the motor, the pressure is applied bythe motor and when the motor is out off the pressure is released by thespring. This requires, of course, that the switch connection be alteredso as to throw the current on the motor normally instead of having themotor free from current normally. With a cam which is steep the springwill not be required and in Figure 12 is omitted.

Even with a very slow cam the spring 72 will not be needed when areversing motor is used to shift the cam positively in both directions.For this a capacitor motor is very desirable because of the added torquewith which it starts its reversal. It can be kept on torque indefinitelyas it has no armature or brushes and its coils are designed to carry thecurrent.

With any reversing motor, direct or alternating, the wedge is operatedin opposite directions according to the rotation of the motor, pressingthe wedge home with one direction of rotation to apply pressure to thecradle and pulling the wedge free in the opposite direction of motorrotation. For this type of operation a single pole double throw switchis used of which an example appears in Figure 13. When it is not theintention to turn the motor positively in each of opposite directions asingle pole single throw switch will answer. However, in the structureseen in Figure 12 omitting the spring, and in the construction seen inFigure 5 where the thread is not a pressure-reversing thread, and in thestructure seen in Figure 4 if the pitch .be low enough so that thethread connection will not reverse on pressure, a single pole doublethrow switch and reversing motor of one kind or another are required.

In Figure 13 connections are shown for operating a capacitor motoractuated by a single pole double throw switch 88. The current supplyline is seen at 89, 90. One side 90 is shown connecting through theswitch direct to the common terminal. SI of an alternating currentmotor. The other supply line 89 connects through switch tongue or blade92 with either terminal 93 or 94 of the switch connecting with one orthe other of two leads 95 and 96 of the capacitor motor. Between eachtwo of the terminals of the motor are placed condensers 91, 98 and 99.

In Figure 8b the spinner is connected frictionally with the switchoperating member thrown by it through a spring I00 so that the spinnermay rotate or oscillate much in excess of the amount of movementpermitted for arm 86. The lever arm may thus be turned at the start ofmovement of the spinner and the switch may thus be thrown withoutinterfering with the continued oscillation or rotation of the spinnerunder the influence of the travelling stock. In Figures 14 and 15 theswitch i removably mounted by means of contacts IOI and I02. In thisform a convenient plunger switch is shown in which contacts I03 and I04are closed by a plate I06 carried by plunger I01, spring retracted atI08.

In view of my invention and disclosure variations and modifications tomeet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident toothers skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of myinvention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore claimall such in so far as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scopeof my invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is: Y

1. In an electric guider, a bracket, fixed and movable roll mountings onthe bracket, themovable roll being cradle carried, a motor having anarmature, a plunger casing having a guiding and supporting opening inits front end, a threaded member carried by the motor armature, a nutplunger mounted on the threaded member adapted to operate the cradle, aplunger connected with the nut and guided in the aperture guides for thenut plunger located Within the casing preventing its rotation and meansfor closing an electric circuit through the motor in agreement withtravelling stock position.

2. In an electric guider, bodily fixed and bodily movable rotatablerolls, a capacitor reversible motor including a condenser, a switch inthe motor circuit, feeler finger means for closing, opening andreversing the motor connections, a threaded shaft driven by the motor, anon-rotatable plunger casin-g, a longitudinally movable plunger nut,guided in the casing against rotation and engaging the thread of theshaft, whereby rotation of the shaft causes plunger movement, a supportfor the front end of the nut in the casing and connections between theplunger and the movable roll whereby the movable roll is pressed againstthe stock with one direction of rotation and relieved therefrom with theopposite direction thereof.

3. In an electrical guider, a bodily fixed roll and a bodily movableroll, a motor, a plunger casing having an opening in its front end, amotor shaft within the casing, a thread upon the motor shaft, a nutengaging the threaded shaft, a guide for the nut secured to the interiorwall of the casing and a hollow plunger fastened to the nut, extendingout through the opening of the casing and adapted to operate the movableroll, the hollow plunger in retracted position of the nut surroundingthe motor shaft.

ROBERT HETHERINGTON. v

